Certain embodiments of the present invention relate generally to automated railroad operation or other vehicle operation. Certain embodiments relate to methods and systems for automatically activating emergency lights during operation of a vehicle.
At least some known locomotives include an emergency lighting system that provides egress lighting to locomotive passengers and/or emergency workers upon application of the emergency brakes. To activate such emergency lighting systems, at least some known locomotives include a brake master controller and/or a locomotive computer (CMU) that communicates a signal to the lighting system. However, when the brake master controller and/or the CMU are not functional, such as when the locomotive is not providing power, the emergency lighting system may not be able to receive the signal to activate the emergency lights.
Further, in at least some known instances, power to the emergency lighting system may be provided by a back-up power source or a locomotive battery. As such, in at least some instances, it may be desired that the emergency lighting system be deactivated in order to conserve energy from the back-up power source or locomotive battery when additional lighting is not necessary.